Japan is the world's third-largest economy and a major economic power both in Asia and globally. Japan has diplomatic relations with nearly all independent nations and has been an active member of the United Nations since 1956. Japanese foreign policy has aimed to promote peace and prosperity for the Japanese people by working closely with the West and supporting the United Nations.

In recent years, the Japanese public has shown a substantially greater awareness of security issues and increasing support for the Self Defense Forces. This is in part due to the Self Defense Forces' success in disaster relief, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and its participation in peacekeeping operations in Cambodia in the early 1990s and reconstruction/stabilization efforts in Iraq in 2003-2008. However, there are still significant political and psychological constraints on strengthening Japan's security profile. Although a military role for Japan in international affairs is highly constrained by its constitution and government policy, Japanese cooperation with the United States through the 1960 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty has been important to the peace and stability of East Asia. In recent years, there have been domestic discussions about possible reinterpretation or revision of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. All postwar Japanese governments have relied on a close relationship with the United States as the foundation of their foreign policy and have depended on the Mutual Security Treaty for strategic protection.

While maintaining its relationship with the United States, Japan has diversified and expanded its ties with other nations. Good relations with its neighbors continue to be of vital interest. After the signing of a peace and friendship treaty with China in 1978, ties between the two countries developed rapidly. Japan extended significant economic assistance to the Chinese in various modernization projects and supported Chinese membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). In recent years, however, Chinese exploitation of gas fields in the East China Sea has raised Japanese concerns given disagreement over the demarcation of their maritime boundary. A long-running boundary dispute involving the Chinese and Taiwanese over the Senkaku (Diaoyu Tai) Islands also continues. Chinese President Hu Jintao's May 2008 visit to Tokyo, and subsequent high-level exchanges, have helped improve relations with China. Japan maintains economic and cultural but not diplomatic relations with Taiwan, with which a strong bilateral trade relationship thrives.

A surprise visit by Prime Minister Koizumi to Pyongyang, North Korea on September 17, 2002, resulted in renewed discussions on contentious bilateral issues--especially that of abductions to North Korea of Japanese citizens--and Japan's agreement to resume normalization talks in the near future. In October 2002, five abductees returned to Japan, but soon after negotiations reached a stalemate over the fate of abductees' families in North Korea. Japan's economic and commercial ties with North Korea plummeted following Kim Jong-il's 2002 admission that D.P.R.K. agents abducted Japanese citizens. Japan strongly supported the United States in its efforts to encourage Pyongyang to abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2006, Japan responded to North Korea's July missile launches and October nuclear test by imposing sanctions and working with the United Nations Security Council. The U.S., Japan, and South Korea closely coordinate and consult trilaterally on policy toward North Korea, and Japan participates in the Six-Party Talks to end North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions. Japan and North Korea reached an agreement in August 2008 in which Pyongyang promised to reinvestigate abduction cases. However, the D.P.R.K. has failed to implement the agreement. Continued North Korean missile tests and bellicose language is viewed with serious concern in Japan.

In recent years, Japan and the Republic of Korea have stepped up high-level diplomatic activity and coordination, resulting in an improved tone in their relationship. However, historical differences, including territorial disputes involving the Liancourt Rocks, complicate Japan's political relations with South Korea despite growing economic and cultural ties.

Japan's relations with Russia are hampered by the two sides' inability to resolve their territorial dispute over the islands that make up the Northern Territories (Southern Kuriles) seized by the U.S.S.R. at the end of World War II. The stalemate over territorial issues has prevented conclusion of a peace treaty formally ending the war between Japan and Russia. The United States recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the islands. During his initial meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev in September 2009, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he wanted to resolve the issue and sign a peace treaty. Despite the lack of progress in resolving the Northern Territories and other disputes, however, Japan and Russia continue to develop other aspects of the overall relationship, including two large, multi-billion dollar oil-natural gas consortium projects on Sakhalin Island.

Japan has pursued a more active foreign policy in recent years, recognizing the responsibility that accompanies its economic strength, and has expanded ties with the Middle East, which provides most of its oil. In 2006, Japan's Ground Self Defense Force completed a successful 2-year mission in Iraq. The Air Self-Defense Force's (ASDF) airlift support mission in Iraq formally ended in December 2008. In January 2010, the Diet also ended the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law that allowed for Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force refueling activities in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Indian Ocean. Since 2009, Japan has been an active partner in international counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa.

Japan increasingly is active in Africa and Latin America--concluding negotiations with Mexico and Chile on an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and undertaking negotiations with Peru--and has extended significant support to development projects in both regions. Japan's economic engagement with its neighbors is increasing, as evidenced by the conclusion of EPAs with Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Vietnam.

As host of the G8 Summit in July 2008, Japan focused on four themes: environment and climate change, development and Africa, the world economy, and political issues including non-proliferation. Since 2007 successive Japanese prime ministers have announced their support for initiatives to address greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate the impact of energy consumption on climate. In September 2009, Prime Minister Hatoyama strengthened the Japanese Government’s commitment to this effort by pledging to reduce Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020 from 1990 levels.

U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONSThe U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of U.S. security interests in Asia and is fundamental to regional stability and prosperity. Despite the changes in the post-Cold War strategic landscape, the U.S.-Japan alliance continues to be based on shared vital interests and values. These include stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the preservation and promotion of political and economic freedoms, support for human rights and democratic institutions, and securing of prosperity for the people of both countries and the international community as a whole.

Japan provides bases and financial and material support to U.S. forward-deployed forces, which are essential for maintaining stability in the region. Under the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, Japan hosts a carrier battle group, the III Marine Expeditionary Force, the 5th Air Force, and elements of the Army's I Corps. The United States currently maintains approximately 50,000 troops in Japan, about half of whom are stationed in Okinawa.

Over the past decade the alliance has been strengthened through revised Defense Guidelines, which expand Japan's noncombatant role in a regional contingency, the renewal of our agreement on Host Nation Support of U.S. forces stationed in Japan, and an ongoing process called the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI). The DPRI redefines roles, missions, and capabilities of alliance forces and outlines key realignment and transformation initiatives, including reducing the number of troops stationed in Okinawa, enhancing interoperability and communication between our respective commands, and broadening our cooperation in the area of ballistic missile defense. In February 2009 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed the Guam International Agreement (GIA) in Tokyo. The GIA commits both nations to completing the transfer of approximately 8,000 U.S. Marines from bases in Okinawa to new facilities in Guam built with the assistance of Japan. Following the 2009 election, the DPJ-led government pledged to review the existing agreement. The United States continues to work constructively with the Government of Japan to find a solution to the Okinawa basing issue.

Because of the two countries' combined economic and technological impact on the world, the U.S.-Japan relationship has become global in scope. The United States and Japan cooperate on a broad range of global issues, including development assistance, combating communicable disease such as the spread of HIV/AIDS and avian influenza, and protecting the environment and natural resources. Both countries also collaborate in science and technology in such areas as mapping the human genome, research on aging, and international space exploration. As one of Asia's most successful democracies and largest economies, Japan contributes irreplaceable political, financial, and moral support to U.S.-Japan diplomatic efforts. The United States consults closely with Japan and the Republic of Korea on policy regarding North Korea. The United States works closely with Japan and Australia under the auspices of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue and the Security and Defense Cooperation Forum to exchange views and increase coordination on global and regional initiatives. In Southeast Asia, U.S.-Japan cooperation is vital for stability and for political and economic reform. Outside Asia, Japanese political and financial support has substantially strengthened the U.S. position on a variety of global geopolitical problems, including the Gulf, Middle East peace efforts, and the Balkans. Japan, a member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2009-2010 term, is an indispensable partner in the UN and the second-largest contributor to the UN budget. Japan broadly supports the United States on nonproliferation and nuclear issues.

Economic RelationsU.S. economic policy toward Japan is aimed at increasing access to Japan's markets and two-way investment, stimulating domestic demand-led economic growth, promoting economic restructuring, improving the climate for U.S. investors, and raising the standard of living in both the United States and Japan. The U.S.-Japan bilateral economic relationship--based on enormous flows of trade, investment, and finance--is strong, mature, and increasingly interdependent. Further, it is firmly rooted in the shared interest and responsibility of the United States and Japan to promote global growth, open markets, and a vital world trading system. In addition to bilateral economic ties, the U.S. and Japan cooperate closely in multilateral fora such as the WTO, the G20, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, and regionally in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Japan is hosting APEC in 2010, followed by the United States in 2011, allowing for increased coordination between the two governments.

Japan is a major market for many U.S. products, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, films and music, commercial aircraft, nonferrous metals, plastics, and medical and scientific supplies. Japan also is the fourth-largest foreign market for U.S. agricultural products, with total agricultural exports valued at $11.2 billion in FY 2009, an almost 15% increase over the $9.7 billion in agricultural exports recorded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in FY 2007. Revenues from Japanese tourism to the United States reached nearly $14.6 billion in 2008.

Trade between the United States and Japan remained strong in 2009. U.S. exports to Japan reached $51.2 billion in 2009, while U.S. imports from Japan totaled $195.9 billion in 2009 ($139.2 billion in 2008).

U.S. foreign direct investment in Japan reached $101.6 billion in 2008, up from $91.8 billion in 2006, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis. New U.S. investment was especially significant in financial services, Internet services, and software, generating new export opportunities for U.S. firms and employment for U.S. workers.

The street address and the international mailing address of the U.S. Embassy in Japan is 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo (107); tel. 81-3-3224-5000; fax 81-3-3505-1862. The APO mailing address is American Embassy Tokyo, Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004. U.S. Consulates General are in Osaka, Sapporo, and Naha, and Consulates are in Fukuoka and Nagoya. The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan is at 7th floor, Fukide No. 2 Bldg., 1-21 Toranomon 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo (105). Additional information is available on the U.S. Embassy's Internet home page: http://tokyo.usembassy.gov.

CurrencyThe currency in Japan is the yen (¥) and banknotes and coins are clearly marked. There are ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500 coins, and ¥1000, ¥5000 and ¥10,000 banknotes. The 1 coin is an aluminum lightweight, the ¥5 and ¥50 coins have a hole in the middle.

ClothingAs with any temperate country, recommended clothes to pack depend on the season. In spring and autumn, pack jackets and sweaters, in summer, short sleeves and swimwear, and in winter, topcoats, wool suits and extra-warm jackets and sweaters are advisable. There is really no need for formal clothing such as tuxedos and evening gowns, and those can be rented if necessary. A point to note: clean socks are a necessity in Japan since shoes are customarily removed at certain Japanese restaurants or in the vestibules of private homes.Emergency NumbersDial 110 for the Police, 119 for the Fire Department or Ambulance, and 3501-0110 for Police General Information in English. Emergency calls made on public phones are free. Just press the red button before making the call.

Time DifferencesStandard time in Japan is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +0900). The difference decreases by one hour during daylight saving time in the summer.

Telephone ServiceThere are indoor and outdoor public telephones just about everywhere in Japan. There are yellow, green and red phones. The yellow and green telephones accept ¥10 and ¥100 coins while the red phones accept ¥10 coins only. The green phones also accept magnetic, prepaid telephone cards. Local calls are charged at a rate of ¥10 per minute.

CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco.........................200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco

Liquor............................3 bottles of about 0.760 liters each of spirits

Perfume.........................57ml of perfume

Gifts...............................and/or souveniers up to jye 100000.00

Note:.............................oral declaration is necessary on arrival at customs